Difference Between Motivation and Morale

Introduction

An organization’s management should try to create and preserve a climate that allows its employees to accomplish their goals. The organization’s main resource is its workforce, so it is important to make the most of their skills in a way that will help the business. Two ideas for creating a positive work environment are motivation and morale. Both of these factors may ultimately result in high output and low employee turnover. To employ these principles, it is necessary to comprehend the distinction between morale and motivation, though.

 Morale is a term used to describe an internal state that is influenced by the situation in which a person finds. It depends on the person’s outlook, attitude, and level of contentment. Instead, motivation is the process of persuading someone to achieve the desired results. It keeps you moving forward. It is important for setting and achieving the objectives.

Motivation vs Morale

Morale is more of a group situation, whereas motivation is an internal psychological force that encourages an individual to behave in a certain way. Improved motivation frequently results in improved employee morale, but strong morale does not necessarily translate to highly motivated staff because being upbeat about all aspects of the workplace does not always compel staff to work more effectively. Morale is a group idea, whereas motivation is an individual concept. As a result, motivation takes into account the individual variances among employees, and employee morale can be raised by taking into account the variables that affect group dynamics or overall work environments. Since high motivation inherently results in higher productivity with high morale may not always do so, motivation now takes precedence in every organization. Morale, on the other hand, is a secondary phenomenon. Morale-related factors are typically those that are inherent to the workplace, whereas motivation-related factors are related to an individual’s performance.

Morale is a self-generated feeling of enthusiasm and encouragement, whereas motivation refers to a person’s urge to complete a task. This is the primary distinction between morale and motivation.

Difference Between Motivation and Morale (In Tabular Form)

PARAMETERS	MOTIVATION	MORALE
Meaning	Motivation refers to an individual’s drive to get a task done.	Morale is a feeling of enthusiasm and encouragement that comes from an individual.
Priority	The primary concern of an organization.	The secondary concern of an organization.
Productivity	High motivation leads to higher productivity.	Higher morale may not always lead to higher productivity.
Relationship	Higher motivation leads to higher morale.	High morale does not necessarily result in higher motivation.
Type of Concept	An individual concept- considers the difference from one employee to the next.	A group concept- morale can be enhanced by considering the influences of their total work settings and the people within them.

What Is Motivation?

The term “motivation” refers to the urge we all have to make a difference in ourselves or the world around us, which prompts us to engage someone in particular conduct. It encourages someone to start and continue a task-related action. It occurs when you have a strong desire to do or achieve something and you put out all of your effort to do it. It may come from a variety of internal or external causes. Indeed, there are many reasons why people choose to act in a certain way.

Motivation is a force that supports, guides and sustains behavior that is goal-oriented. It is controlled by the fulfillment of demands that are necessary for maintaining life or required for welfare and growth. The management of the company has a responsibility to encourage people to accomplish their jobs as effectively as possible. It is common knowledge that when an employee is highly motivated, their productivity level and work quality are likewise high, along with their level of engagement and sense of commitment to their work.

Types of Motivation

• Positive Motivation: It is a type of praise and appreciation for successful work. Positive motivation, specifically, is the drive that stems from a person’s compensation, status, promotion, and appreciation.
• Negative Motivation: Negative motivation is when a person acts out of dread or the anticipation that, if the employee does not do their task correctly, it may result in an unfavorable outcome, such as fear of losing their job, fear of being disciplined, fear of being transferred, etc.

Motivation is the inner drive that propels a person to engage in a particular habit or action and encourages him to keep doing so. It encourages someone to put their potential for labor into action.

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are the two categories of motivation that are covered by human resource models.

Motivation that originates from outside sources is referred to as extrinsic motivation. Offering rewards or promotions, for instance, can inspire workers. Contrarily, motivation that stems from self-satisfaction is referred to as intrinsic motivation. Noting that intrinsic motivation is preferable to extrinsic motivation is crucial.

People are motivated by different things for different reasons. However, motivation is a trait that must be awakened within the person. Numerous ideas explain motivation and the variables that influence it. Employees who are highly motivated at work are eager to go above and beyond the requirements of their job descriptions. Someone is motivated to go above and beyond their call of duty by enthusiasm, interest, or dedication. Additionally, the workers adopt a proactive mindset for the benefit of the business. This will boost output, effectiveness, and work-product quality. Thus, businesses are typically geared towards success when the staff is highly motivated.

What Is Morale?

It is possible to describe morale as the mental state that demonstrates courage, zeal, and confidence in one’s ability to complete a goal. It is an elusive element that is connected to the circumstances of the person and the workplace in terms of a person’s resolve, self-assurance, and fervor when doing the work. The state of being at ease, healthy, and happy is a mental attitude, an emotional force, and a state. It can affect the output, product quality, expenses, zeal, initiative, and other success factors.

A person’s overall contentment with their job, work team, manager, organization, and work environment determines how motivated they are at work.

Factors Influencing Employee’s Morale

• Organizational Credibility
• Stance of the management
• Relating to human resources
• Satisfaction at work
• Work environment, including danger, monotony, and objectives.
• Supervision
• Motivation level
• Rewards and sanctions

Emotions have a significant impact on morale. As a result, in workplaces with high employee morale, workers approach their tasks with enthusiasm, passion, and energy. It is evident in their corporation in attaining the goals, as well as in their self-control, loyalty, engagement, and appropriate initiative.

Davis claims that “morale is a mental condition of groups and individuals which determines their attitude.” Simply said, employee morale is a combination of their attitudes, behaviors, and expressions of their beliefs and ideas, all of which, when combines with their work environments, reveal how they feel about their jobs, the conditions of their employment, and their relationship with their employers. Employee attitudes and reactions to their jobs are both factors in employee morale.

There are two Morale levels:

High Morale:

• High morale denotes tenacity at work, which is crucial for achieving management goals. Morale is high when:
• The employee’s excellent sense of teamwork.
• Employee commitment to the organization and a feeling of belonging.
• Conflict detection and resolution right away.
• A secure and healthy work environment.
• Within the organization, effective communication.
• An increase in output.
• Increased drive.

Low Morale:

• The traits of low morale are as follows:
• Increased complaints and conflicts within the organization.
• High employee turnover and absence rates.
• Dislike for one’s superiors and employers.
• Poor working circumstances.
• Frustration among workers.
• Decrease in output.
• A lack of drive.

Relationship Between Motivation and Morale

An effective workplace is high in morale and motivates employees. Motivation and morale can sometimes coexist. Employees work harder and are more driven to accomplish goals when their morale is strong, which also increases output and better job quality. Additionally, employees who are unmotivated and have low morale tend to work more slowly, which results in decreased output and poor-quality work. This is not always the case, though. In some cases, highly driven workers with low morale may exert more effort to accomplish the objectives. Negative elements like job uncertainty and supervisor anxiety may motivate these workers to put in more effort. These situations have high motivation and low morale. An instance where morale is good but motivation is poor can also be noted.

Main Differences Between Motivation and Morale (In Points)

• The term “motivation” refers to an internal process that enhances, inspires, and excites workers, resulting in behavior that is goal-oriented. Contrarily, morale is a person’s psychological state as expressed in his or her attitude, self-assurance, self-control, enthusiasm, cooperation, and dedication to the job and the organization.
• The inner psychological urge that prompts an employee to act in a certain way is what is known as motivation. Morale, on the other hand, is a social-emotional relationship.
• In every organization, motivation is prioritized over morale since highly driven employees produce more effectively.
• Motivation is a personal idea since it takes into account the unique characteristics of workers. In contrast, morale is a group notion since it takes into account all of the elements that have an impact on both the employees and the whole workplace.
• Employee performance-related factors, such as pay, promotions, meeting or failing to meet goals, etc., have an impact on an employee’s motivation. The elements that affect employee morale, in contrast, are those that relate to the general work environment, such as management, rewards and recognition, job satisfaction, work atmosphere, etc.
• Supplementing, completing, or enhancing an employee’s morale is motivation. On the other hand, morale is one of the determinants of motivation, i.e., a factor that influences a worker’s motivation.
• Morale typically results from motivation. Employee morale typically rises as a result of improved motivation, although strong morale does not always equate to highly engaged workers. This is because people don’t necessarily function more efficiently when they have a favorable outlook on all aspects of their work environment.
• Motivation is an individual trait, but morale is a communal idea. As a result, motivation takes into account the individual variations or disparities among employees, and employee morale can be raised by taking into account those factors that have an impact on the condition of the group or the overall work environment.

Conclusion

In general, the organization’s reward system has an impact on an employee’s motivation and morale. As a result, while choosing the award, several criteria must be taken into consideration, including the employee’s performance. If an employee’s performance isn’t up to par, they should put up the extra effort, sincerity, and learning necessary to raise their level of performance, no matter how difficult it may be. Comparing various occupations to understand and examine the reasons for the lack of success. It should be remembered that while thanking an employee for their accomplishment is important, rewarding them for their earnest efforts is much more crucial. Even though both motivation and morale are essential for a productive workplace, they are not the same thing. In contrast to motivation, which is the desire to complete a task, morale is the tendency for a person to work with others. As a result, motivation is seen as an individual idea while morale is a communal concept.

Morale and motivation typically go hand in hand. When employees have strong morale, they work harder and are more motivated to achieve their goals. Productivity and work quality also go up. In addition, low morale among employees can lead to reduced productivity, a lack of desire, and a decline in the caliber and quantity of work. This is not always the case, though, and there are several expectations of the norm. high achievers who push themselves harder to reach their objectives can experience low morale. Negative situations like employment insecurity and fear of the boss may spur these folks to work harder.

References

• https://finlawportal.com/what-is-the-difference-between-motivation-and-morale/